Dental-dam holder.



m vsmossp 6 PATENTBD JUNE 3,1903.

' 1). MURLLESS.

DENTAL DAM HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17, 1902.

H0 MODEL.

. 6 5 ea" 24 a:

M'messg" I i iizwerzaz'flf' n was PETERS 0a.. wnoToumgu wnsnmoran n c UNITED STATES Patented June 2, 1903.

PATENT OFFicE. I

DENTAL-DAM HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 730,038, dated June 2, 1903 Application filed September 17, 1902. Serial No. 123,728. I (No model.)

To whom/it may concern:

Be it known that LDANIEL MURLLEss,a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in Holyoke, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dental-Dam Holders, of which the following is a" specification.

This invention relates to dental-dam holders, and has for its object to provide an im- IO proved device for holding in position over the mouth of a patient the rubber or other dam usedby the dentist.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved catch for securely holding and c5 quickly releasing material caught thereby.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved catch for grasping an object and upon closing to securely and positively lock in its closed position. v

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved device for quickly and efficiently taking up slack in a band.

In certain dental operations it is necessary to protect the point of operation .fromsaliva and moisture of the breath, to" which end.

dams of rubber or fabric are held over the mouth of the patient'andsecured in such manner as to bring the tooth under operation in front of the dam. It is at the same time necessary to employ somemeans for holding the dam in place and keepingit properlydistended. T

To expedite the employment of the dam, it is important that the device forengagin it to 5 hold it distended should becapable of rapid 40 the operator and comfort'of the patient, be

mountedupon a base of some suitable material, so that the face of the patient will be shielded from the catches, which generally will be made of metal. The base or shield may be made of some non-corrosive material which is .easy to cleanse and. render antiseptic.

If desired, more thanone catch may bev mounted upon one base or shield, whereby each side of the dam may be clamped or held at more than one point. Tension may thereby be applied to the dam if desired, or it may be given any desired amount of slack.

The catches or their bases maybe connected by a strap or elastic band to pass behind the patients head, and the band may be-provided with suitable means for taking up the slack and in such manner that pressure upon the head-rest will not permit it to slip and which at the same time will not .cause injury or in convenience to the patient or become entangled in the hair.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification illustrate a form of my invention, wherein Figure 1 shows a top view of a base plate or shield on which are mounted two catches,

with a portion'ofa band and the slack-takeup in perspective. Fig. 2 is a top View of a form of catch. 3 is aside view of the catch -open. Figwl is a similar view showing the catchclosed, and 5 is a perspective of a modification. V r

The catch, (designated in a general way by A,) is shown herein as comprising a body 6, embodying a base portion '7 having in the present instance bent-up sides 8 and one member, 9, of a holding-jaw formed by a double bend of an extension of the base portion constituting: a groove or channel 10, which, if desired, may be made narrower at the bottom than at the top and in' practice maybe substantially V- shaped. The other member, 11, of the jaw may be provided with a gripping portion 12, which maybe formed to mate with the gripping portion of the'other. member, and, if desired, may be made wedge shape. The member 11 is shown as pivoted by a pin 13 to the side portions Sand provided with a suitable looking or holding-closed thej'aws and which is designated in a general way by a and in the present instance is shown as a bolt 18, comprising a sheet-metal blank bent up in the lock in their closed position.

center to form a ridge 19 and wings or guide-, surfaces 20, adapted to be held in place by guides or ways on the side members formed by bending over such side members to form wings 21. The under side of the bolt is shown as provided with feet 23, resting and riding upon the bottom plate, between which and the wings 21 the bolt is held for sliding movement. The front end of the bolt is shown as having a downwardly-depending lug 23, between which lug and a pin 22 a spring 2% is shown as interposed. The ridge 19 may be provided with suitable means whereby it may be engaged by the operator, (here shown as a notch 25,) and the forward end may be given an incline 26. Upon pressing the jaws together the bolt will automatically press under the depending portion 18 and the jaws will The bolt acts as a prop to hold the rear extension of the jaw elevated and the forward or gripping end depressed.

The prop or look may assume other forms than that above described, and in Fig. 5 a base 7 is provided with upturned sides 8, holding-jaw members 9 and 11, provided, respectively, with gripping portions 10 and 12, pivoted together by a pin 13. The bolt a in this instance in the form of a swinging member 18, adapted to swing under the extension 17 and lock the jaws closed upon the depression of the forward end and the elevation of the rear end of the pivoted jawbearing member. The bolt 18 is pivoted between the base and a bent-over portion or wing 21 by a pin 26. The spring 24 bears upon the bolt and a bail 22, which serves as a convenient place on which to secure a band or the like.

I11 Fig. 1 catches A are shown as mounted upon a base plate or shield, (designated in a general way by 13,) and in the present instance comprising a bifurcated plate 27, upon each leg 28 of which is shown mounted a catch. One leg of the base is shown as longer than the other. The base is also shown as provided with a slot 29 for holding a suitable band or strap 30, and one catch is shown as having its median line parallel with the median line of the strap and transverse to the slot 29. The median line of the other of the catches is at an angle thereto. One of the plates maybe placed at each end of the strap, which may be provided with some convenient means (designated in a general way by c) for rendering the length thereof adjustable, and shown herein as embodying a plate 31, having a central slot 32, through which both ends'of the strap pass, and a plate 33, provided with two slots 3% 3i, through which the ends severally pass. The plate 31 is to be slid upon the straps to the desired position and then the plate 33 pressed toward it, when the latter plate will lock the former in position.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a dental-dam holder, the combination with a strap, of a pair of plates carried by the strap; dam-gri tiping means carried by the plates and comprising jaws, one of which jaws is mounted in one end of a member pivoted midwa-rd of its ends; a swinging latch adjacent to the other end of the member, capable of swinging under such end to hold it elevated and lock the jaws in their gripping position; and means for automatically opening the jaws and maintaining them open upon the withdrawal of the latch from beneath the end of the member.

2. In a dental-dam holder, the combination with a plate; dam-gripping means co1nprising a jaw carried by the plate; a member pivoted to the plate and carrying at one end a jaw mating with the former jaw; automatic means for locking the jaws in their gripping positions and comprising a swinging latch and means for automatically swinging the latch located adjacent to the other end of the member and organized to swing under such end and hold it elevated and the jaws closed upon the closure thereof; and means for automatically opening the jaws and maintaining them open upon the withdrawal of the latch from beneath the end of the member.

In a dental-dam holder, the combination with a pair of non-corrosive plates or shields for resting upon the face of a patient, of means for connecting the plates and passing behind the head of the patient; a pair of damholding devices carried by each plate and each device comprising a channel and a wedge capable of mating with the channel to hold thedam therebetween; means for holding the wedge and channel upon the dam; the holding devices of each plate disposed upon the plate, one having its median line parallel to the eonnectingmeans and its channel transverse thereto and the other having its median line and channel respectively at angles of about forty-five degrees to the median line and channel of the other holder.

4. The combination with a non-corrosive plate, of a rubber-dam-holding device carried by the plate and comprising a sheet-metal base; a forward extension therefrom; a series of bends therein forming a groove wider at the top than at the bottom; bent-up sides upon the base; a member pivoted to the sides; a detent carried by the member and adapted to enter the groove; a rearward extension on the member; a spring for lifting the members; wings bent inward from the sides; an abutment at the rear of the base below the wings; a bolt adapted to pass under the extension of the members; bent depending wings on the sides of the bolt in sliding engagement with the base and holding the top of the bolt against the wings from the sides; a depending lug on the front of the bolt; and a spring interposed between thelug and the abutment and organized to force the bolt under the extension upon the elevation thereof.

. In a dental-dam holder, the combination Ill! with a strap, of a, pair of plates or shields carried by the strap; dam-gripping means carried by the plates, and comprising a base;.

an extension thereon; a groove in the extension; a jaw pivoted to the base and having adependent mating with the groove; a rearward extension from the jaw and a shiftable prop for engaging the rearward extension and holding the Wedge and groove in gripping position.

DANIEL MURLLESS.

WVitnesses:

J. J. RAMAGE, CHAS. -W. EMBURY. 

